Publication: Authenticity of self-expression tasks in EFL textbooks: Teachers⇔ voices
Issued Date
2021-02-01
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ISSN
17381460
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2-s2.0-85101213449
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Asian EFL Journal. Vol.28, No.12 (2021), 46-66
Suggested Citation
Athip Thumvichit, Ailada Kattiyavara Authenticity of self-expression tasks in EFL textbooks: Teachers⇔ voices. Asian EFL Journal. Vol.28, No.12 (2021), 46-66. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/75855
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Title
Authenticity of self-expression tasks in EFL textbooks: Teachers⇔ voices
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Abstract
Opportunities for students to express themselves in the target language are a pivotal aspect of any language class. While the authenticity of the language represented in textbooks has long been a topic of interest among researchers, that of self-expression tasks (SETs) is scarcely examined. That is, previous discussions on authenticity have made language elements a separate entity rather than an overall view of communicative events. This study sets out to investigate to what extent topics of SETs in eight secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) textbooks used in Thailand are authentic and to explore teachers’ intervention strategies to facilitate self-expression. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving content analysis of SETs followed by a survey, and then a series of interviews. Siegel’s (2014) list of topic themes was employed as a starting point to help identify and categorize SETs. A total of 281 SETs were identified in the corpus generating 17 topic themes, namely, extracurricular activity, place, relationship, academic life, lifestyle, self, food/drink/health, animal, famous people, apparel, transportation, entertainment, festival/celebration, holiday/vacation, environment, technology, and belief (arranged in frequency order). A side-by-side comparison between the textbooks shows that the distribution of SETs varied widely from textbook to textbook. The results unveil the gap between the topics of textbook SETs and those that teachers perceived to be relevant and attractive to learners. Although topics related to extracurricular activity appeared most frequently in the corpus, participating teachers suggested that those related to self (relevancy) and entertainment (interest) should be considered in order to best engage learners in the learning process. Issues related to the use of textbook SETs included reliance on superficial tasks and prefabricated content and the absence of contextualized content to support SETs. Contextualizing SETs and providing learners with supplementary materials appeared to be favorable teachers’ intervention strategies. A number of considerations for policymakers and teachers can be drawn from the results of this study. Policymakers should encourage local publishers to produce EFL textbooks designed specifically for Thai learners with an emphasis on contextualized content. They should also provide appropriate support to teachers to develop in-house materials. It is important that teachers provide their students with opportunities to express themselves in a wide range of topics that are related to their needs and desires. Textbooks should be used selectively. Teachers should not rely solely on exercises and tasks in textbooks, and the use of alternative learning resources should be considered to supplement the textbook.